January 2009 in science

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January 31, 2009 (Saturday)

• Tornado, a brand new £3 million main line steam locomotive makes its first passenger journey in the United Kingdom (BBC)

January 17, 2009 (Saturday)

• Microsoft is charged by the European Commission for anti-competitive practices by including Internet Explorer with Windows. (BBC)

January 16, 2009 (Friday)

• Using new software scientists have designed a metamaterial that bends a large number of frequencies. (TechReview)

January 15, 2009 (Thursday)

• A methane burst of 21,000 tons occurred on Mars in late summer of 2003. This could be from rocks or microbes. (AP)
• The GEO 600 is experiencing noise that lends evidence to the hologram universe theory; where smooth space-time we perceive breaks down into "grains". (NewScientist)

January 14, 2009 (Wednesday)

• Simulations show having more than eight multi-cores decreases speed as they compete for memory bandwidth and memory bus. (PhysOrg)

January 13, 2009 (Tuesday)

• Seventeen radio telescopes will coordinate to make a telescope the size of the Earth to observe three quasars; achieving 100x better resolution than optical telescopes. (PhysOrg)

January 12, 2009 (Monday)

• A list of the "TOP 25 Most Dangerous Programming Errors" is released by security experts. (SANS.org)
• Magnetic resonance force microscopy captures the first three-dimensional image of a virus. (NYTimes)

January 10, 2009 (Saturday)

• CES 2009: The Palm Pre wins Best in Show and People's Choice. (CNet)

January 9, 2009 (Friday)

• A case study shows how Memristors could be used to create low cost, high density memory. (ArxivBlog)

January 8, 2009 (Thursday)

• An artificially made RNA molecule self-replicates and evolves. (NewScientist)
• Using the mathematical tool Morse-Smale complex a new algorithm has been made to extract and visualize patterns in exponentially growing data sets. (Physorg)
• A scaled up test will be done with coal-digesting microorganisms converting coal into methane for electricity or to power vehicles. (TechReview)
• Therapeutic hypothermia is becoming more common in hospitals greatly reducing the death rate of cardiac arrest. (PopSci)

January 7, 2009 (Wednesday)

• Microsoft releases Windows 7 beta as a free download for testing. (Wired)
• A repulsive Casimir effect has been measured between nano-materials in a bromobenzene solution. This could be used to lubricate or create ultra-low static friction for nanomachines. (NewScientist)
• The Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) protocol will be implemented on .org and .gov domains initially to eliminate infiltration by malicious websites. (TechReview)

January 5, 2009 (Monday)

• The Milky Way appears to be as large as the Andromeda Galaxy, with revised data showing our galaxy has 50% more mass than previously thought. (AP) Also, the sharpest infrared image of our galaxy was released, showing 200 new massive stars. (NewScientist)
• A new "nanohoop" molecule may allow much longer and higher quality carbon nanotube manufacturing. (PhysOrg)
• Celebrity Twitter accounts were hacked. (CNet)
• The Perspex globe will simulate how insects see, navigate and learn; but it can also be used for surveillance, lighting and robots. (PhysOrg)

January 3, 2009 (Saturday)

• Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity celebrate their 5th anniversary. (BBC)

January 2, 2009 (Friday)

• University of Michigan research has found that being in an urban setting can have significant negative impacts on memory, mood, self-control and concentration; and that even brief encounters with natural settings can lead to improvements. (Boston)
• Nanodiamonds indicate comet impacts on Earth created a sudden cooling period 12,000 years ago, making large mammals like mammoths extinct and starting a new ice age. (SciAm)
• Samples as small as 75 nanometers in diameter can be trapped or moved using light. This could be applied to lab on a chip applications. (PhysOrg)

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